Protective entrance to a burglarproof safe



April 25, 1933.

I J. woop PROTECTIVE ENTRANCE TO A BURGLARPROOF SAFE Filed June 15, 1931 5 a, n l l i l l I l ll| r. n"h llllll P a 1 M Q T w Patented Apr. 25, 1933 UNITED- STATES F JAMES WOOD, OF NOBLESVIIQLE, INDIANA PROTECTIVE ENTRMCE T A BURGLARPROOF Application filed June 15,

This invention is apparatus to protect business men from a robber when the latter compels the business man to open his safe and bring its contents to the robber.

The invention consists in apparatus placed adjacent to and infront of a safe in which money is kept and safeguarded, and it consists primarily of the combination with a steel orfire-proof casing of three doors forming an entrance cage. 7 The doors are made of steel or other strong fire-proof material, one door being the entrance door which is connected with an intermediate door, and,-as

the entrance door opens, it closes the inter- 1 ;mediate door, and when the entrance door is closed after the business man enters it a third 1 rear door is opened which automatically locks the entrance door shut leaving the business man in a cage of steel protected by three doors. V

While the entrance door is open, the burglar cannot enter because the intermediate and rear doors are closed. After the rbusiness man enters the cage between the three 1 steel doors, he releases the rear door, and as it opens, it looks the entrance door, and then, the regular safe door having a combination lock becomes accessible to the business man and this is his mode ofentrance-during ordi- 1nary business. However, if he is being held up, he does not open thecombination lock,

but remains protected in the protecting cage consisting of the casing andthree doors until he is relieved.

1 The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawing and the following description and claims: V

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation of the protecting cage andthe safe located to. the rear thereof, the latter being partially broken away, the cage entrance door being closed. Fig. 2 is a horizontal "section on the line 2-.2 of Fig. 1, still showingthe entrance door of the cage closed.- Fig. 3 is a; similar view showing the entrance door open and.

1931. Serial No. 544,412.

the intermediate and rear doors of the cage closed. Fig. 4 is the same as Fig; 3 with the front doorof the cage closed andthe intermediate and rear doors thereof open. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5+5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a similar View 7 taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 2.

The construction 10 indicates a compartment, whichmay be a burglar-proof safe construction located, say, in a gasoline filling station, and said compartment has a door 11, which may be the usual combination entrance door to a safe. In front of the door 11, an entrance or protecting cage is built with walls 12 in the nature of front extensions of the compartment 10, as shown in Fig. 2. In

the front of said protective cage there is a steel door frame 13 secured rigidly by headed bolts 14 or other suitable means to the exten-v sion walls 12.

The frame 13 is in the nature of a door frame having top and side members to receive the entrance door 15 of the protectingi cage. Thisdoor is'made of steel preferably and is hinged at 16 to the front door frame 13, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. It preferably has the appearance of a burglar-proof safe door with an external door knob 17 secured on a short bolt 18 which hassecured on its inner end a latch 19 which'when in horizontal position engages a latch plate 20 secured to' the door frame 13. A stop 21 on the inner side of the entrance door 15 limits the downward movement of the latch 19, and a spiral spring 22 is connected at one end to the front end of the latch'19 and at its other end to a point on the entrance door 15 below the latch 19, so that normally the spring 22 will hold;

the latch closeduntil the knob 17 is turned for raisingthe latch. V The entrance door 15 has secured to it rigidly'anintermediate door 25 made of steel andthe like,and, in the form herein shown, the intermediate door 25 is normallyj'at aright angletothe entrance door 15, as seen in Fig. 2 and is secured to the entrance door not only at. their juncture at 26, but by a curved overhead bar 27 which is rigidly secured at its two ends to said doors 15 and 25 remote from the hinges 16. This makes the entrance door 15 and the intermediate door 25 a rigid unit so that the intermediate door moves and swings with the entrance door.

When the entrance door is opened, as shown in Fig. 3, to admit a person into the protective cage, the intermediate door follows the entrance door and practically closes the entrance, as shown. As he entersthe protective cage he closes the entrance door 15 A which opens the intermediate door 25. The

parts are then in the position shown inFig. 2 with the entrance to the combination safe door 11 still blocked by the rear door 30 of the protective cage. That doorv 30 is of arcuate form substantially concentric, with the hinges 16 of-the entrance and intermediate doors 15 and 25 and is located outward y beyond the sweep ofthe intermediate door 25 in itsmovements. The rear door 30 is hinged at 31 to the front casing frame 13 near the opening through said frame 13 and near the outer edge of the entrance door. 7

The rear door 30 is held closed by a spring latch 32 bolted to a side frame plate 33 which is secured to the door frame 13. This latch cannot be released exceptby the business man after he enters the protective cage and closes the entrance door 15, as shown in Fig. 2, and the intermediate door has reached its wide open position. --He then operates a lock handle 34: in the intermediate door '25 that moves a downwardrigidly-secured cam 36 which engages the latch bar 32 and moves 1t T out of locking engagement with the rear door 30. Then the rear door 30 is pushed open towards the position shown in Fig. 4, sons to give access to t-llCCOHlblIlZttlOIl door 11 of I the burglar-proof'safe to the rear.

The opening of the rear door 30 automati cally'locl'rs the entrance door 15 closed and holds it closed. This isbymeans of the sliding latch 37 mounted on the rear side of the top member of the door frame 13, as seen in Fig. 2. A connecting rod38 is pivotedat one end to said sliding latch 37 and 39 and at the other end to the rear door 30 at 40,

Therefore, theopening movement of the rear door 30 slides the latch-bar 37 from thedisengaging position shown in Fig;- 2 to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6, where a downwardextension 41 from said latch bar 37 engages a 'catch 42 which is secured tothe inner side of the entrance door 15, This arrangement is shown in 'Figs. 4 and 6. When the rear door 30 is open, the latch37 and extension 41 move to the left and engage the catch42and" hold the entrance door closed. g V

In order that the rear door 30 may be held closed when the entrance door is open, as shown in Fig. 3, to prevent access by the robber, a catch 43 is secured to the lower part of the intermediate door 25, as seen in Fig. 3. This catch extends from the intermediate door 25 under the rear door 30 and has an upward extension behind the rear door 30. This effectually holds the rear door 30 shut when the front entrance door 15 is open, as seen in Fig. 3. The catch 43 is curved somewhat away from the plane of the door 25 so that when'the door 25 is open, as seen in Fig. 2, the catch 43' will not engage the rear door 30.

. It appears, therefore, from the foregoing description, that applicants apparatus will thoroughly protect the business man from a Any signalling means may be provided in connection with the protecting cage to enable the business man therein to give any desired signal or convey any desiredinformation.

Themvention clalmed 1s:

' 1. A protective entrance to aburglar-proof safe and the like, including three cooperating doors, the first door being an entrance door, the second door being an intermediate door connected rigidlywith the entrance door, and

the third door being a rear door, releasable means for holding the rear door closed, and

means mounted on the'intermedi'ate door for releasing the rear door when the intermediate door is in open position, whereby when the entrance door is open the intermediate door'will close the entrance temporarily-and the reardoor will be locked and-after the entrance door is closed the intermediate door will beopen and the rear door can then be released and opened. v

{2. A protective entrance toa safeand thelike, including a casing having a front door-frame with an entrance opening, an entrance door hinged to one side of said door frame for opening andclosing the entrance, an' intermediate door rigidly con nected with said entrance door-and extendinginwardly from the same near the hinged burglar-proof portion thereof and at substantially a-right rear door concentric with the hinged connec tion'of the entrance door and hinged to the rear side'ofthe door frame near the free edge of the entrance door and extending be yond the free edge of the intermediate door,

and means operable by the opening move ment of said rear door for holding the entrance door closed on the inside.

3. A protective entrance to a burglar-proof safe and the like, including a casing having a front door frame with an entrance opening, an entrance door hinged to one side of said 'door frame for opening and closing the entrance, an intermediate door rigidly con" nected with said entrance door and extending inwardly from the same near the hinged portion thereof and at substantially a right angle thereto so that as the entrance door is opened the intermediate door moves towards the entrance closing position, a third rear door concentric with the hinged connection of the entrance door and hinged to the rear side of the door frame near the free edge of the entrance door and extending beyond the free edge of the intermediate door, a sliding latch on the rear side of the top of the door frame, a catch on the inside of the entrance door adapted to be engaged by said latch when moved, and means extending from the rear door to said latch for moving it into locking position when the rearidoor is open. 4. A protective entrance to a burglars proof safe and the like, including a casing having a front door frame with an entrance opening, an entrance door hinged to one side of said door frame for opening and closing the entrance, an intermediate door rigidly connected with said entrance door and extending inwardly from the same near the hinged portion thereof and at substantially a right angle thereto so that as the entrance door is opened the intermediate door moves towards the entrance closing position, a third rear door concentric with the hinged connection of the entrance door and hinged to the rear side of the door frame near the free edge of the intermediate door, means operable by the opening movement of said rear door for holding the entrance door closed on the inside, a latch connected with the casing for holding the rear door closed, and means mounted on the intermediate door operable for releasing said latch when the intermediate door is in its wide open position, whereby the rear door cannot be opened until the entrance door is closed.

5. A protective entrance to a burglarproof safe and the like, including a casing having a front door frame with an entrance opening, an entrance door hinged to one side ofsaid door frame for opening and closing the entrance, an intermediate door rigidly connected with said entrancedoor and extending inwardly from the same near the hinged portion thereof and at substantially a right angle thereto so that as the entrance door is opened the intermediate door moves towards the entrance closing position, a third rear door concentric with the hinged connection of the entrance door and hinged to the rear side of the door frame near the free edge of the intermediate door, means'oper able by the opening movement of said rear door for holding the entrance door closed on the inside, a latch connected with the casing forho-lding therear door closed, and acam-shaped wedgeon the rear side of the in-. termediate door and operable from theopposite side of said door so that when the ins termediate'do'or is in wide open position said wedge willengage said latch and release the rear door.

6. A protective entrance. to a burglarproof safe and the like, including a casing having a front door frame with an entrance opening, an entrance door hinged to one side of said door frame for opening and closing the entrance, an intermediate door rigidly connected with said entrance door and extending inwardlyfrom the same near the hinged portion thereof and at substantially a right angle thereto so that as the entrance door is opened the intermediate door moves ,means mounted on the intermediate door operable for releasing said latch when the intermediate door is in its wide open position, whereby the rear door cannot be opened until the entrance door is closed, and a catch on and extending beyond the opening edge of the intermediate door for engaging said rear door and holding it closed at all times excepting when said intermediate door is in its wide open position.

7. A protective entrance to a burglar-proof safe and the like, including a casing having a front door frame with an entrance opening, an entrance door hinged to one side of said door frame for opening and closing the entrance, an intermediate door rigidly connected with said entrance-door and extending inwardly from the same near the hinged portion thereof and at substantially a right angle thereto so that as the entrance door is opened the intermediate door moves-towards the entrance closing position, a third rear door concentric with'the hinged connection of the entrance door and hinged to the rear side of the door frame near the free edge of the intermediate door, means operable by the opening movement of said rear door for holding the entrance door closed on the inside, a latch connected withthe casing for holding the rear door closed, means mounted on the intermediate door operable formleasing said latch when the intermediate 1 door is .in its wide open position, whereby the rear door cannot be opened until the entrance door isre'losed, and at catch on the free edge of said intermediate door at the bottom which is adapted to extend under the rear door and with an upwardlyextending outer portion adapted to engage the rear sur face of said rear door and hold it from being opened except Whenthe intermediate door is in its Wide open position. 7

In Witness whereof, Ihave hereunto saf- 103" fixed my signature.

JALEES WOOD; 

